1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a connector having shuntable and configurable contacts. More particularly, the invention finds use in the field of xe2x80x9cshuntxe2x80x9d connectors, to allow connectors to selectively interconnect fixed tracks of a printed board integrated in the connector. These connectors have contacts, for instance connected to individual tracks of a printed board, which contacts may be selectively connected with each other to provide connection between fixed tracks. The invention particularly is particularly suitable for connectors used in aeronautic applications, particularly is on aircraft engines. A connector according to the invention has the advantage that it can be used in difficult external conditions, particularly at high temperature (of the order of 150xc2x0 C.).
2. Description of Prior Developments
In prior art, connectors are known which have contacts, typically fitted on printed boards. A printed board has fixed tracks typically engraved in a board substrate. In order to connect two tracks together when desired, if the pattern of the printed board does not allow to do so, each track has to be provided, at a desired point, with a contact and connection has to be ensured between these contacts. For instance, a prior art connector is known which has such contacts that first ends of these contacts may, for example, be in contact each with a track of the printed board, and that second ends of these contacts are free on a rear surface of the connector.
In prior art, two free ends of contacts disposed within the same connector are interconnected, shorted, by using a conductive element to be put in contact with the two contacts. Particularly, in document EP-A-0 576 365, a connector is known which has conductors, so that each conductor may be put in contact with another by means of a U-shaped bar. U-shaped bars are typically disposed in a cover to be fitted on the connector. Depending on the arrangement of the bars, short circuits between conductors can be obtained or prevented. Hence, the number of covers to be provided shall correspond to the possible combinations of connections between conductors. Each cover provides a specific lay-out of U-shaped bars.
From the principle of document EP-A-0 576 365, covers are also known which have conductive elements, so that these conductive elements are put or not in contact with each other, as a function of the height of a wall separating two adjacent conductive elements. In this document, the provided configuration of short circuits is defined by the respective heights of the cover walls. Hence, the number of covers to be provided, with different wall height arrangements shall correspond to the possible combinations of connections between conductors.
This solution involves a problem. While it has an easy implementation, the different covers being easily mounted, it involves at each new configuration, the complex process; of removing the cover, detaching the conductive elements therefrom, disposing them in a new appropriate cover, and fitting this new cover on the connector. This solution involves many individual elements, which may get lost during a configuration change of the connector and of connections.
The invention has the object to obviate the above problems by providing a connector which has configurable contacts. The solution proposed by the invention provides a connector which has conductive means for shorting the different contacts together. The interest of the invention lies in that it provides a system which allows to displace these conductive means between a first position in which they are in contact, and a second position in which they are not in contact. To this end, a connector according to the invention includes power contacts having, at different heights, an insulating surface and a conductive surface.
Also, the connector includes contacts to be powered, each provided with a sliding and conductive socket to come or not into contact with an insulating surface, or with a conductive surface of a power contact of the connector. The invention also allows to connect a is power contact with several contacts to be powered. Further, a contact to be powered may be selectively put in contact with a power contact independently of the connections established between this power contact and other contacts to be powered. This allows to change one connection only, without having to reestablish all the others.
Furthermore, a connector according to the invention may also be configurable to be adapted to different types of complementary connectors. Depending oh the position of sockets along contact axes, a contact has a more or less long contact end to be connected with a complementary contact of a complementary connector. In fact, the sliding socket is movable between a high position and a low position. In the high position, it completely hides the contact along which it slides. In said high position, it is mechanically joined to the insulating portion of the power contact. Thereby, the contact is inaccessible to connection with a complementary connector, and it is not powered. Conversely, in the low position, the socket exposes a free contact end. The free contact end may be connected with a complementary connector. Also, in this low position, the socket ensures connection with a conductive portion of the power contact.
Finally, the shape of sockets is such as to allow them to interlock mechanically with projections of the insulating or conductive surfaces of power contacts. These interlocks help to retain the configurable connections. The conductive and insulating surfaces of power contacts may be obtained by crimping sleeves thereon, i.e. plugging them in with a much higher force than by manual insertion.
Hence, the invention relates to a connector which has a body, at least one power contact and at least one contact to be powered, each of the contacts having a first end fitted in the body, characterized in that the is power contact has an insulating surface and a conductive surface, and in that the contact to be powered has a conductive socket, sliding along the contact to be powered, between a first position in which the socket is in contact with the insulating surface, and a second position in which the socket ensures connection with the conductive surface, so that the connection obtained in the second position is conductive and allows powering of the contact to be powered by the power contact.
The invention will be understood more clearly by reading the following description and by analyzing the accompanying figures. The latter are only shown by way of example and do not intend to limit the invention in any manner. The figures show;
FIG. 1: a sectional view of a first embodiment of a connector according to the invention;
FIG. 2: a sectional view of a second embodiment of a connector according to the invention;
FIG. 3: a top partial view of a connector according to the invention;
FIG. 4: a top view of a connector according to the invention;
FIG. 5: a sectional view of an improvement of a connector according to the invention;
FIGS. 6A, 6B, and 6C are top views of three different levels of an embodiment of a connector according to the invention.